Santa Catarina

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Strong demand for young mares, especially those from the highly successful racing and breeding program of Bob and Beverly Lewis and from the dissolution of the breeding partnership of Stone Farm and Stonerside Stable, boosted Tuesday's second session of Keeneland's November breeding stock sale.

Santa Catarina, winner of last year's Hollywood Oaks (gr. II) and runner-up in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), has been retired by owners Bob and Beverly Lewis after recently suffering an injury while training.

Sarava, who has raced only once in the nearly 19 months since capturing the 2002 Belmont Stakes (gr. I), is being pointed toward a probable start in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I), trainer Bob Baffert said.

Trainer Bob Baffert's Santa Catarina is the 7-2 favorite among fourteen 3-year-old fillies in Saturday's second running of the $750,000 American Oaks at 1 1/4 mile over Hollywood Park's Lakeside Turf Course. The Oaks tops a bill that includes the $300,000 Triple Bend Breeders' Cup Handicap at seven furlongs and the $100,000-added Royal Heroine Stakes (gr. IIIT).

Bob & Beverly Lewis' grade II winner Santa Catarina worked five furlongs in a bullet :59 1/5 handily over the turf course at Hollywood Park Thursday in preparation for the $750,000 American Oaks on July 5. With Hall of Famer Gary Stevens in the irons for trainer Bob Baffert, the 3-year-old filly was caught galloping out the six furlongs in 1:12 and change.

Roar Emotion led every step of the way, and held off a late charge from Fircroft, to take the $200,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (gr. II) by a half-length Friday at Pimlico. Favored Santa Catarina ran third.

A well-matched bunch of 10 3-year-old fillies has passed the entry-box for Friday's Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (gr. II) at Pimlico. The nationally-televised contest (ESPN, 5-6 p.m. EDT) will be run at its traditional distance of 1 1/8 miles.

Before a crowd of 100,523, Marylou Whitney's homebred Bird Town stumbled out of the gate but recovered to pull an upset at 18-1 in the $573,800 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I). Bird Town drew away in the stretch to win by 3 ¼ lengths in a stakes-record time of 1:48.64.

All three of trainer Bob Baffert's Santa Anita Derby (gr. I) starters came out of the race fine, but only two – Indian Express and Kafwain – will continue on the Kentucky Derby trail, the conditioner said Sunday.

Repository won a pace battle with betting favorite Paga and held off the flying Brocky's Dream to earn a half-length victory Wednesday in the $80,400 Winter Solstice Stakes at Santa Anita. Earlier, Santa Catarina made a successful return in an allowance race as the heavy favorite.

Breeders' Cup Juvenile (gr. I) winner and early Kentucky Derby favorite Vindication worked for the first time as a sophomore Monday, logging a half-mile in :48 2/5, handily, over Santa Anita's fast main track. Exercise rider Dana Barnes was in the irons for the move, which was listed as the 22nd fastest of the 46 who worked at the distance.

Quick, name the five best races in the history of the Breeders' Cup. Sure it's subjective, but every list would include the 1988 Distaff (gr. I), which was contested over a muddy Churchill Downs strip.

The current favorite for the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), Storm Flag Flying, gets her final tune up before the World Thoroughbred Championships Saturday when she heads the field in the Frizette Stakes (gr. I) at Belmont Park.

The big news this week in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I) division is not who's in, but who's out. Two of The Blood-Horse top five choices for the Oct. 26 race will now be on the sidelines when the race is run.

Storm Flag Flying and Vindication were made the favorites in the Breeders' Cup Future Bet for the juvenile championship races to be contested Oct. 26 at Arlington Park as part of the World Thoroughbred Championships.

Storm Flag Flying was made the overwhelming 1-9 favorite Friday, the first day of Breeders' Cup Future Bet for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies. On the male side, the $1 million Juvenile favorite is Vindication, heavily supported as well at 7-5.

Separating top juveniles is always tough early in the year because so many are unbeaten or have won a majority of their starts. Still, when it comes to the early favorites for this year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (gr. I), all lists must start with Awesome Humor.

The undefeated two-time stakes-winning Buffythecenterfold will face her sternest test yet Saturday in the 52nd running of the $250,000 Del Mar Debutante (gr. I) for 2-year-old fillies at seven furlongs on the main track.